EU ministers 'determined' to resolve horsemeat scandal

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson says he and his EU counterparts are "determined
to get to the bottom" of the horsemeat scandal as tests carried out
across Europe.

5:31PM GMT 13 Feb 2013

European countries are expected to step up testing of food products in response to a scandal involving horsemeat falsely sold as beef, as authorities scramble to identify the source of the suspected fraud.

The Environment Secretary joined ministers from the worst-affected nations at meeting in Brussels to discuss their response to the scandal, which erupted after tests showed products labelled as beef contained up to 100 per cent horsemeat.

Authorities have said there is no risk to public health from the tainted foods. But the incident has caused revulsion in Britain, where many view the idea of eating horsemeat with distaste, and raised concerns over the safety of Europe's intricate food supply chains.

Wednesday's meeting would focus on strengthening existing EU rules, particularly on product testing and enforcement by national authorities.

The Commission said it was also studying the option of introducing country-of-origin labels on processed meat products, although officials have said privately that the complexity of supply chains would make this next to impossible to implement.